The present application is directed to incorporation of active transient current control in electronic circuit breakers, such as chip-on-busbar technology, for aerospace power distribution systems. Conventional systems using electromechanical type circuit breakers incorporate the active inrush current limiting in each of the attached loads, such as motor controllers for the various compressors, fans, pumps, etc.
Power distribution systems are used in aircraft, as well as other vehicles, to distribute electrical power from a common source, such as a power generator, to multiple different electronic systems each having different power requirements. As is typical in electrical systems, switching on an attached load can cause an undesirable spike in electrical current flowing from a power bus in the power distribution system to the load. This initial current spike is either referred to as a transient current, or an in-rush current from load stand point, or out-rush from Circuit Breaker stand point.
In order to reduce the impact these transient currents have on the attached electronics (loads) in a conventional system using electromechanical circuit breakers, each of the loads includes a transient current limiter that reduces inrush current to an acceptable level.